While I wish the combat had undergone more dramatic changes, better combos do help it inch its way towards a more naturalistic feel, and the achievement of combining it with a flexible platforming engine makes any omissions pretty forgivable. The Inside Out and Toy Box Takeover sets are the standouts for me, and show a promising future for this series.
NES Remix 2 has a better selection of games than the first Remix, but it still feels like half of a larger whole.
Super T.I.M.E. Force's writing can be obnoxious, but the strength of the gameplay conceit carries it through. Making death less punitive puts a unique spin on a staid genre. Using these tools to solve the combat scenarios is a blast, and worth suffering through some of the silliness and frustration.
Infamous: Second Son takes the series to the new console generation, but the ambitious power-stealing concept hews too close to previous games.
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes shows a lot of promise for MGS stepping into the open-world arena, but has so little content that it may not satisfy.
Valiant Hearts may get repetitive at times, and struggles to find its tone, but I'd be hard-pressed to name a game that better explores the complexities of war. In the end, we're reminded that lives are valuable regardless of their banner. It's rare to see a video game explore conflict with such nuance, and this one deserves commendation for that.
Infamous: First Light is at its best when it's iterating on and riffing on Second Son. In many ways, the abbreviated length of First Light makes it a better bite-sized package. It's more linear and less surprising than fans might expect from the series, but exploring this world as Fetch is just as fun as it ever was.
Destiny, Bungie's ambitious space opera, has vision in spades and is mechanically sound--but it falls short of its lofty goals.
The Marvel fan-service, along with the constant small moments of delight and whimsy, more than make up for a few remaining weak spots.
LittleBigPlanet 3 makes some serious revisions to the formula, but somehow still feels like it's following a set design pattern.
Princess Peach Showtime is a breezy exploration of genres aimed at novice gamers.
Penny's Big Breakaway is a loving homage that accurately captures what was both fun and awkward about the early days of 3D platformers.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong brings the puzzle-platformer spin-off back to its roots, with clever improvements and a beautifully toyetic facelift.
Pikmin 4 is a pleasant, relaxing game that serves as a nice entry point for newcomers, with occasionally odd high-pressure segments.
Aloy returns to explore the wreckage of Los Angeles, and it's just the right amount of Horizon to scratch that itch.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe brings a cheerfully gentle Wii-era platformer to Nintendo Switch with smart additions and a big new epilogue.
Splatoon 3 isn't quite as novel the third time around, but a great campaign, tons of multiplayer options, and a few new surprises make it much more of a good thing.
PowerWash Simulator is a novel and soothing chore-core game that only occasionally breaks up its own relaxing flow.
Mario Strikers: Battle League has all the makings of a great sports game, but there's not much there right now.
Grapple Dog is a light, breezy mascot platformer that hooks you with precise, simple controls.